Bellows mechanism for pneumatic pianos.



W, G. BETZ.

BBLLOWS MEOHANISM FOR PNEUMATIC PIANOS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 15.1910.

Patented Dec. 19, 1911.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1,

JNVENTOR. WI 1 11am G. B6172.

WITNESSES.-

A rroiezwm G. BETZ.

BELLOWS.MEGHANISM FOR PNEUMATIC PIANOS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 15, 1910.

. Patented Dec. 19, 1911.

2 SEEETSSHEET LVVEVTOR. Viliimn GnDeTz.

ATTORNEY WITNESSES: i0 m 6 d; (mi M .the bellows and pedals.

UNITED STATES egrnur onnron.

WILLIAM G. IBETZ, OF STEGEB, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO STEGER & SONS PIANO MANU- FACTURING COMPANY, OESTEGER, ILLINOIS, CORPORATION OFILLINOIS.

BELLOWS MECHANISM FOR PNEUMATIC PIANOS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 15, 1910. Serial No. 577,180.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM G. Bnrz, of Steger, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented a certain useful Bellows Mechanism for Pneumatic Pianos; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,

clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings. I

The object of this invention is to improve the construction of pneumatic player pianos, particularly with reference to the means for creating the suction or air exhaust necessary for the operation of the instrument.

One feature of the invention relates to the provision of a plurality of bellows having in common a single intermediate chamber for the movement of the air from the instrument to the bellows.

Another feature of theinvention relates to the pedal mechanism for operating the plurality of bellows simultaneously but oppositely, that is, so that it will collapse .one bellows while it expandsthe other bellows, and

thus maintain a steady exhaust or" air.

- The nature of the .1111011111011 Wlll be under=-- showing one pair of bellows in elevation and 4 expanded, and the collapsed position of the other pair of bellows'being indicated by dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Figs. 3 and 4 are detail drawings of part of the connection between Fig. 5 is a trans verse section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1,

through the portion of the piano showing the bellows and pedal mechanism in condition for use, a part of the piano being broken away. Fig. 6 is the same showing the pedal mechanism folded into the piano and. out of the way.

In the piano, 10 represents the bottom of adapted to rest on the floor.

when expanded they will draw air from the exhaust chamber 13 through the passageways H and 15 and the ports 18. The bellows are alternately collapsed and expanded by a pedal mechanism, and are returned to their normal position by springs 22, which are connected to they underside of the exhaust chamber 13 and to the upper side of the bellows. This construction. of bellows doubles the air exhausting capacity of the single bellows, and yet they do not occupy much more space than the single bellows and are as easily located in the piano, and 1f one bellows fails to operate satisfactorily, the other bellows will be suliicient to do the work with substantial satisfaction.

The means for operating the bellows is indicated in Figs. 3, 4:, 5 and 6. A bar is secured to.the movable end of each bellows and to it an arm 26 is pivoted so as to hang down, and a connecting bar 27 is pivoted to said arm at its upper end. The connecting bar 27 for the upper bellows is comparatively long and that for the lower bellows comparatively short, and the short bar 27 is located on the side next to the pedal opening 12, and both bars 27 are pivoted to the opposite ends of a rocking lever 30 fulcrumed at 31 on a stand 32 which is secured to the bottom 10 of the casing, and has an upwardly extending bar 33 that is secured to the chamber 15 between the bellows of each pair. That bar holds the outer end of said chamber 15, while its inner end is held in position by the part 1 1, and thus said chamber 15 is held in fixed position. Thus, when the lever 30 is actuated, it simultaneously operates the bellows but in opposite directions, one bellows being collapsed while the other is expanded. The rocking lever 30 is actuated by an arm 35, which is connected by a connecting bar 36 to the upper rear portion of a pedal 37, which is tulcrumed at 88 nearits lower edge on the stand 39, which is There are two sets of bellows and two pedals and a bar 40 is pivotally connected to the fulcrum Patented Dec. 19, 1911.

38 intermediate the two pedals and it runs over the lower front barll of the casing and is turned down at it's inner'end and pivoted to and between/a pair of ears 452 that are secured to the bottom of the casing. This pedal arrangement is such, therefore, that it can be folded in from the position shown in Fig. 5 to that shown in Fig. 6, through the pedal opening 12 and out of the way when ,the pneumatic portion of the instrument is not in use and the pedal opening can be temporarily closed by a door 43, and thus the instrument will have the appearance iof an ordinary piano. The door 43 has a button 44 to hold one end in place and cleats to hold the other end in engagement with the front plate 11 of the casing. The actuated position ofthe arts of the pedal mechanism While in use is 1ndi cated in Fig. 5 by dotted lines, and the result is that each pedal operates the two bellows simultaneously by rocking the lever 30.

I claim as my invention 1. A pneumatic piano including an exhaust chamber, a fixed casing with a chamber in communication with the exhaust chamber, a bellows on each side of said through casing and having valve controlled communication with the chamber therein, a

spring for normally collapsing said bellows,

and a pedal actuated means. for simultaneously expanding both bellows.

2. A pneumatic piano including a horizontal exhaust chamber, a horizontal casing below the exhaust chamber and communicating therewith, bellows below and above said casing and having valve controlled communication therewlth, a sprlng'between and acting against the upper bellows and the exhaust chamber to collapse said-upper;

bellows, a rocking lever pivotally mounted in connection with said fixed casing, con

necting bars between the ends ofthe lever and the two bellows, and a pedal for actuating the lever, whereby the pedal acting through the lever mechanism will expand acting therethe two bellows and the spring ill collapse the same. I v v I In witn ss whereof, I have hereunto aflix'ed my signature in the presence of the witnesses herein named. Y -WILLIAM G. BETZ. Witnesses:

C. W. Boim'roiv, J A. Bone. 

